As the fashion industry was busy churning out trends in the Fashion Week tents in Bryant Park, a few blocks away in Hammerstein Ballroom, the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS’ (Diffa) Dining by Design benefit offered a glimpse of the latest looks for tabletops. Crammed with 51 individual dining environments, the fund-raiser was a runway of sorts, where a roster of top event, interior, and fashion designers—aided by products and funds from corporate sponsors—could unveil their latest ideas for event decor.
Although the designers typically make grand, one-of-a-kind creations, every year a few trends emerge from table to table, and they often influence the look of place settings to come. (Last year’s clear plates showed up often in 2004.) This year, the designers used many ornate, old-fashioned pieces—but not in old-fashioned ways. Instead of making tables that looked fussy, designers mixed and matched patterns, materials, and colors, and combined the disparate elements in ways that felt vibrant and fresh. At the Quest International Fragrance table, that meant setting plates from East Village shop John Derian with vintage drawings of plants on top of ornate, floral-patterned china, and mixing silver-rimmed champagne flutes with an assortment of beveled wine glasses of different heights. Each place setting was unique, giving the old-fashioned pieces a modern, not-so-perfect feel.
The few stark, minimalist designs looked a bit stale and boring. With so many top designers—and sponsors—looking to stand out, the event is about big statements, after all. So, as in years past, the designers also used scale to make an impact in a room of show-offs hoping to hear “Wow…” from the design crowd walking the floor. Suzanne Kasler put her table under a giant Eiffel Tower replica, and a mast rose behind the Nautica area—built to resemble the deck of a ship (and incidentally, Lure Fishbar). Flowers, although used for occasional flourishes, were rarely the focal point of a table.
Another big trend: The flatware wasn’t so flat. Many designers used thick-handled utensils instead of the minimalist, skinny silverware popular last year. At the Kate Spade and Coach tables, utensils’ handles were bamboo-shaped, and Catherine Kiel of Eric Cohler Inc. set the Greystone table with tortoise-handled flatware. Walking the floor, we also found table after table with the flatware set in unusual ways—forks crisscrossed over each plate, or a pair of spoons nestled within a rounded plate. One recurring theme seemed a bit inappropriate: the use of animal products, from feather boas draped over the chairs at the Artistic Tile table, to leather pieces used as a tablecloth in the Quest table (otherwise, one of our favorites). A giant arrangement full of fake birds and giant feathers billowed over Matthew Smyth’s table for Larson-Juhl—sure, it had visual impact, but would you want to eat under it?
Produced by Diffa’s Mark Beckham and sponsored by Elle Decor and GE, the event began with a cocktail reception when everyone could check out the tables and bid in a silent auction. Then for dinner, Creative Edge Parties served ravioli made of puff pastry and stuffed with wild mushrooms, followed by an herb-encrusted loin of lamb with sweet pea pancakes and mustard sauce. Later, DJs Todd Oldham and Billy Beyond spun at the Bubble Blast after-party, sponsored by faucet maker Brizo.
—Chad Kaydo
More Photos From Diffa’s Dining by Design Event:
More Great Diffa Designs
Diffa Trend: Mixing Fabrics
Diffa Trend: Styled Flatware
Diffa Trend: Chunky Utensils
Diffa Trend: Unmatched Table Settings
Read our coverage of last year’s event...
